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An historic British Columbia mining camp comes under additional scrutiny with new research released September 28. Geoscience BC’s latest report and 1:50,000-scale map focus on the province’s south-central Greenwood district, about 500 kilometres east of Vancouver.

Mining on the 800-square-kilometre area dates back to the late 1880s. Some 26 past-producers have given up more than 1.2 million ounces of gold and over 270,000 tonnes of copper, along with silver, lead and zinc, according to the independent non-profit organization. With a number of juniors currently working to find more mineralization, this research “should bolster the recent revival of mineral exploration activity in the Greenwood area,” said Geoscience BC VP of minerals and mining Bruce Madu.

Mining may one day return to the once-busy Greenwood camp.(Photo: Geoscience BC)

Among the active companies is Grizzly Discoveries TSXV:GZD, which holds about 72,840 hectares of Greenwood turf. Under a 75% earn-in, Kinross Gold TSX:K has been drilling for gold in the Midway area of Grizzly’s holdings. Grizzly has been conducting geophysics and surface exploration on its Robocop cobalt-copper-silver claims and plans drilling for three other Greenwood targets.

Just across the international border, Kinross operated the Kettle River-Buckhorn gold mine until last year, extracting 1.3 million ounces over nine years.

Another of Greenwood’s large landholders is Golden Dawn Minerals TSXV:GOM, which attributes 31 historic mines to its 15,400-hectare portfolio.

The Greenwood report might help illuminate other parts of B.C. as well. “This area could hold the key to a better understanding of mineral deposits that formed during key geological events that span almost 200 million years,” Madu added.

Working with First Nations, local communities, governments, academia and the resource sector, Geoscience BC opens its research to the public “with the aim of encouraging exploration, economic activity and informed land use decisions.” Most funding comes from the provincial government.